Current AEW star Jeff Jarrett recently spoke about his surprise return to the WWE in 2018, after almost 20 years of being considered persona non grata by the company following his acrimonious departure in 1999 and subsequent co-founding of WWE rival promotion TNA.
Speaking on his podcast My World, Jarrett described October 2017 as the “darkest period of [his] life,” saying, “I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. And by the grace of God went into alcohol treatment.” Jarrett’s wife Karen reached out to Bruce Prichard and Road Dogg for help and they connected Jarrett with the WWE.
Jarrett’s return to the WWE began with an invitation to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018. Jarrett recalled:
“I got a text that said, ‘Hey, can you chat?’ Vince would like you in the Hall of Fame. What do you think?”
Jarrett accepted the invitation to bury the hatchet, which led to further opportunities with the company, including producing matches and eventually joining the creative writing team.
Jeff Jarrett Gained Valuable Experience Working Alongside Vince McMahon
During his time with WWE, Jarrett travelled with Vince McMahon to shows and observed the creative process, eventually being given the responsibility of overseeing live events.
“I said, ‘Vince, I want to do more.’ And he goes, ‘Can you be at the office next Tuesday?’ This is all within 30 days.”
However, when the pandemic hit and live events were no longer possible, Jarrett was moved to the international department, where he gained valuable experience and knowledge about the WWE system from an international perspective.
Jarrett expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work with the WWE and believes that his experience will be beneficial as he moves forward with All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
“I feel lucky that I got that opportunity to kind of look at and learn. I mean, you know, TNA is one learning ground, through the Global Force days also had an international agent who, again, continued education, but then seeing the WWE system, from an international perspective, I learned a lot. And then I think that can really help us, as I sit here today, moving into the future with AEW.”
If you use any of the quotes from this article please credit the original source with a h/t back to Inside The Ropes.